1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-contained compact towable facility which is designed to have a water storage and drain and waste water collection and isolation system which is adapted to store and collect a maximum volume of water for the weight and size of the towable facility. The self-contained towable facility is intended to include necessary sanitation components, such as a water storage system which stores fresh potable water, electrical and/or gas water heater which heats, on demand, potable water, resulting in hot and cold water being available within the facility, a sink and a shower which are adapted to use the hot and cold water and during the usage thereof produces drain water having a low impurity content and a toilet, which may be of a recirculating and/or fresh water flushing type, which uses potable water to charge the same, and during usage thereof produces waste water having a high impurity content.
The self-contained towable facility is intended to be as compact as possible and still be able to contain required sanitation components and electrical, water and gas components while maintaining a balanced condition within the compact towable facility. The balanced condition is maintained at all times independent of the volume of potable water, drain water collected in the grey water collection system or the waste water collected in the black water isolation system. In a two-wheeled application, the moment of force applied on a tow bar, which is coupled to a towing vehicle, has a minimum variation over a selected limited loading range. In a four-wheeled application, the variation of total loading forces is evenly distributed over all four wheels which further minimizes variations in the moment of force applied on a tow bar. Thus, biased loading of the trailer either forward (fore) or rearward (aft) is minimized, resulting in a stabilized, compact, towable facility having minimum loading effects on the towing vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to have a towable facility which includes the sanitation facilities. One such known device is the shower facility described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,710. The shower facility described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,710 has a central utility section and two end shower sections wherein the utility section contains the equipment necessary to supply water and electrical power to the end shower sections. The source of supply water, the electrical power and the means for collecting and disposing of waste water produced from the shower facility is external to the facility.
The use of a water circulation system for a towable facility is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,825. U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,825 discloses a system having a reservoir which is mounted at the ceiling of a trailer, a sink which is adapted to receive water from the reservoir, a shower which is adapted to receive waste water from the reservoir, a collection tank which is adapted to collect drain water from the sink and the shower and a toilet which is adapted to use the collected drain water as a source with the toilet using the drain water for flushing purposes and discharging the same as waste water into a holding tank.
It is also known in the art to include a trailer house, a toilet and a shower which are integral therewith such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,641. The primary disclosure of the trailer house in U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,641 is the physical arrangement of the interior of the trailer and a telescoping top section thereof and the inclusion of a toilet and shower as additional conveyance components.
It is also known in the art to have a plurality of different types of compact, towable trailers, either tent camping trailers, or trailers which have telescoping or collapsible features.
Typically, the known trailers are designed to accommodate a water storage system, a sink, a shower, a toilet and holding systems as a part thereof. In the known small compact trailers, such as a travel trailer known as the "SCAMP" brand camping trailer, such trailers are designed to provide the user with an interior floor plan which is primarily adapted for providing the user with sitting, eating and sleeping space within the interior of the trailer. Generally, small compact trailers do not have an extensive potable water storage, drain water collection, and waste water isolation system.
The trend of the present-day, small-scale trailers is to reduce the weight and the size thereof so that the same can be towed by the smaller lightweight motor vehicles. Under such design limitations, sanitary components and facilities are kept at a minimum to reduce the weight and size requirements thereof. Thus, as the trailers are reduced in size and weight, water storage systems and drain and waste water collection systems are kept at a minimum or completely eliminated from the design to maintain sitting, eating and sleeping space.
It is known in the art to provide access between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, such examples being trains, buses and other forms of vehicles used for public transportation.
Also, the use of a four-wheeled steerable trailer to provide improved tracking of the trailer to a towing vehicle is likewise known in the art. One such trailer is disclosed in an article entitled "Jayco to Produce New "Four-Wheeled" Trailer" which appeared in the February, 1981, issue of RV Dealer Magazine at pages 30 and 32.